In April, North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un missed the celebration devoted to his grandfather's birthday, a major holiday in the country, sparking rumours about the state of his health and possible death. It was then suggested that his younger sister and a central figure in the Workers' Party of Korea, Kim Yo-jong, would take his place.
Kim Jong-un's reported ex-lover Hyon Song-wol could have usurped his politician sister's power as she has been increasingly seen at the side of North Korea's supreme leader recently, The Sunday Times reported.
Hyon, a North Korean pop-star and ex-lead vocalist of all-women group Moranbong Band, was spotted next to Kim during a grand military parade in Pyongyang on 10 October, while performing duties usually assigned to the leader's sister Kim Yo-jong, who instead was spotted seating next to lesser officials.
The 43-year-old singer, who was appointed a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in 2017, has also been Kim's occasional companion on official trips and even became a part of a small team that visited South Korea back in 2018 to discuss arrangements for the Winter Olympics.
According to reports citing South Korean intelligence, the two have been romantically involved for nearly 10 years, since the future leader of North Korea came back from Swiss school. However, the two are said to have broken up because of the disapproval of his father, Kim Jong-il. At some point it was even suggested by South…
